"MDHJWH" wrote in message

(snip)I'd be putting the
house as high as possible on the north facing slope if you can.

But that position would have potential to be disasterous in a bushfire given
how fire races up hills. A compromise of high enough to give frost drainage
and low enough to still be above the floodline is worth thinking about.
That sort of position shouldn't allow a bushfire to reach full raging
capacity.

However, having said that, I know of one place here that is tucked up under
an escarpment and they grow begonias outside (we get to -10C round here). I
was gobsmacked when I saw the begonias but then found that there were heaps
of other things all of which would be a hot house dream in my location (and
indeed anywhere else in this district). this place loses the sun very early
on winter days but the moon and sun rises over the lake make up for it
according to the residents (and given how hot it can get here in summer,
anything that gets the house in shadow a nanosecond earlier is not
necesarily a bad thing.